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Arizona Daily Star (Tucson)
February 16, 2008
Pg. 1
By David Wichner, Arizona Daily Star
Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems has been awarded a four-year, $1.02 billion contract to supply missiles for a seagoing missile-defense program, the Department of Defense said Friday.
Under a contract awarded by the Naval Sea Systems Command, Raytheon will provide 75 Standard Missile-3 Block IA missiles for the United States. The company also will provide 27 similar missiles under the Foreign Military Sales program, which funnels weapons to allied nations through the U.S. military procurement process.
The Defense Department said it will initially fund about $92.8 million under the contract, which runs to February 2012.
The Standard Missile-3, or SM-3, is part of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system, a ship-based system designed to intercept incoming ballistic missiles. The system is under development for the United States and Japan, with other allied nations participating in some studies, according to Raytheon.
The SM-3 was in the news earlier this week when the Pentagon announced a modified version will be used as soon as next week in an attempt to shoot down a damaged U.S. spy satellite carrying toxic fuel.
In December, an SM-3 fired by a Japanese naval vessel intercepted a test missile 60 miles above the Pacific Ocean, in the 12th successful intercept test of the system.
Work under the contract announced Friday will mainly be performed in Tucson, with other work to be performed in Elkton, Md., by a major subcontractor, Alliant Techsystems Inc., the Defense Department said.
Missile Systems spokesman John Nelson confirmed the contract award but declined further comment.
Raytheon is Southern Arizona's largest employer, with about 12,500 Tucson-area workers at the end of 2007.
The local company — which also makes the Tomahawk cruise missile, the Paveway laser-guided bomb and a variety of other sea- and land-launched missiles — reported nearly $5 billion in net sales in 2007.
The company's parent, Waltham, Mass.-based Raytheon Co., had 2007 revenues of $21.3 billion and is the nation's fifth-largest defense contractor by revenue.
February 16, 2008
Pg. 1
By David Wichner, Arizona Daily Star
Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems has been awarded a four-year, $1.02 billion contract to supply missiles for a seagoing missile-defense program, the Department of Defense said Friday.
Under a contract awarded by the Naval Sea Systems Command, Raytheon will provide 75 Standard Missile-3 Block IA missiles for the United States. The company also will provide 27 similar missiles under the Foreign Military Sales program, which funnels weapons to allied nations through the U.S. military procurement process.
The Defense Department said it will initially fund about $92.8 million under the contract, which runs to February 2012.
The Standard Missile-3, or SM-3, is part of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system, a ship-based system designed to intercept incoming ballistic missiles. The system is under development for the United States and Japan, with other allied nations participating in some studies, according to Raytheon.
The SM-3 was in the news earlier this week when the Pentagon announced a modified version will be used as soon as next week in an attempt to shoot down a damaged U.S. spy satellite carrying toxic fuel.
In December, an SM-3 fired by a Japanese naval vessel intercepted a test missile 60 miles above the Pacific Ocean, in the 12th successful intercept test of the system.
Work under the contract announced Friday will mainly be performed in Tucson, with other work to be performed in Elkton, Md., by a major subcontractor, Alliant Techsystems Inc., the Defense Department said.
Missile Systems spokesman John Nelson confirmed the contract award but declined further comment.
Raytheon is Southern Arizona's largest employer, with about 12,500 Tucson-area workers at the end of 2007.
The local company — which also makes the Tomahawk cruise missile, the Paveway laser-guided bomb and a variety of other sea- and land-launched missiles — reported nearly $5 billion in net sales in 2007.
The company's parent, Waltham, Mass.-based Raytheon Co., had 2007 revenues of $21.3 billion and is the nation's fifth-largest defense contractor by revenue.